


they say in heaven, love comes first

by ghibliterritory



Category: Black Mirror (TV), Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Black Mirror Episode: s03e04 San Junipero, Hermann is Freaked Out (TM), M/M, Newt is just trying to be nice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-02-19
Packaged: 2019-10-31 10:12:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17847467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghibliterritory/pseuds/ghibliterritory
Summary: A regular Saturday night in San Junipero. Clubs, drinks, and the blossoming of romance.





	they say in heaven, love comes first

**Author's Note:**

> whoops?

Music thumped through Newt’s chest, echoing through his ribcage. The smell of sweat and decent liquor was hard to ignore, and his skin was warm by all the people surrounding him. He sighed, throwing his head back to down one more shot. He would never get over the adrenaline that clubs gave him.

 

It was odd- he couldn’t remember the last time he was in a club, really. It was a long time. Probably since he graduated college, if he thought about it right. Then again, he didn’t think he had thought  _ right _ in that long, either.

 

He supposed it didn’t matter now. Newt was there, after however many years, hanging on the bar while he took a break from dancing like a maniac. A good way to spend his time in 1986, honestly. He pushed his glasses up further onto his nose and tapped at the bar for a refill, eyes scanning through the crowd. The usual towns folk filled the space, grinding on each other and tossing around their perms and dangling jewelry while they danced. Newt smiled at the familiarity, and almost turned back to his drink, but his eyes stopped.

 

In the  _ very _ far back corner of the bar, he could see a face that was  _ not _ familiar. It was furrowed and anxious, eyes darting around like a small animal surrounded by wolves.

 

This was the face of Hermann Gottlieb, though Newt didn’t know that yet. And Hermann certainly  _ felt _ like prey at the moment. His hands adjusted his vest, scratchy and woolen and nothing at all like the things people wore around him. He almost never found himself in clubs- of any kind, really. But it was his first night in town, and there was an impulsive part of him that figured it wouldn’t hurt to dip in, see if there was anyone at  _ all _ he could talk to.

 

So far, it did not seem like there was. Hermann was quick to turn around, ready to step back out into the unfamiliar world outside, but he was stopped by a hand on his wrist. He jumped and swivelled back around on his heel, eyes wide.

 

“Hey!” The stranger told him, lifting his hands in defense. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you- I saw you from the bar and you looked kinda freaked. Everything good?” The stranger asked. Hermann blinked, mouth someone agape. His hands reached out to fiddle with something that wasn’t there- he wished he had it, even if in this young state, he didn’t need.

 

“Yes, everything’s alright.” Hermann said. “Just… not a fan of clubs.”

 

The stranger smiled. “Then, why are you in one?” He asked, adjusting a pair of glasses that sat on his nose. Hermann opened his mouth to defend himself, but realized he didn’t actually have much defense. “I… I’m not entirely sure.” He admitted quietly, looking back around. “I had an idea that I might find some decent company, but…”

 

“Well, I’m decent company!” The other said, sticking a hand out to Hermann. “I’m Newt Geiszler, a fairly local resident. You?”

 

Hermann stared at the hand, feeling almost dumb at how he hesitated, but he gently took it after a second and shook it. “Hermann. Hermann Gottlieb. Are you, by chance, German?”

 

Newt smiled, giving his hand a small squeeze before taking it back. “Born in Berlin. But, most of my time’s been spent in the  _ stunning _ U.S. of A.” He said, making Hermann barely twitch his lips up into a smile. “Fascinating. I was born in Germany as well- not in Berlin, though. More in the country side.” Hermann paused, realizing he was rambling a bit and taking a hold of his vest again to keep his hands busy. Newt didn’t seem to notice or care, still smiling. “Wicked! Not often you see many people from good ol’ Europe waltzin’ around. At least, I haven’t come across any in a while. None here.”

 

“Right.” Hermann nodded, searching his head for a topic. “...Do you perhaps want to step away from the door?”

 

“Oh!” Newt exclaimed, gently smacking his forehead. “Duh, my bad, dude. Come on, I have a seat by the bar.” He said. Hermann paused, and almost protested, but his wrist was grabbed again and he was pulled through the crowd towards the bar. His eyes darted around to all the patrons- couples sucking face on barstools, cigarettes being tossed into shot glasses. It made him swallow nervously.

 

“Tendo!” Newt cried to the bar, making Hermann look back at him. A slim man with surprisingly not-permed hair came up, scrubbing at a glass with a barely clean rag. He smiled at Newt.

 

“Hey, Geiszler, lookin’ sharp. I never thought I’d actually see you at the damn bar.” The man- Tendo- said with a laugh. Newt grinned and nearly climbed on top of the counter, he leaned over so much. “Hey man, I’ve only got so much time- might as well knock it off my bucket list or whatever the saying is.” He shrugged. Tendo laughed more, setting the glass and rag down. “Alright, fair enough, I guess.” He said. Before he could ask about a drink, his eyes landed on Hermann, who was watching the exchange with wide, confused eyes. Tendo smiled. “Friend of yours?”

 

Newt looked at Hermann again, and grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, this is Hermann!” He said, wrapping his arm around his shoulders and making Hermann squeak. “Another guy from Germany! How often does that happen?”

 

Tendo only shrugged. “Nice to meet ya, Herm. What’ll it be?”

 

“Oh, uh- no drinks for me.” Hermann said quickly, wriggling out of Newt’s touch. He blocked out whatever order the other gave and stared at the sea of people, gripping at empty air. This was odd. Too odd.

 

“Wanna dance?” Newt’s voice pulled him back to reality, and he looked back at the other. His eyes were full of excitement- and something else Hermann couldn’t place. He bit his lip. “I’m not a dancer.” Hermann said. That didn’t seem to bother Newt, who only smiled more. “So? No one here is a dancer, clearly.”

 

Hermann sighed, almost starting to point out why he couldn’t dance, but he stopped himself. It wasn’t a real excuse. Not now, anyway. “No, I’d rather just stay here, thank you.”

 

Newt bit his lip, but shrugged, taking a sip from the drink Tendo made for him. “Suit yourself. I’m dancing, though.”

 

Without another word, Newt was off to hide in the folds of the crowd, right as the song changed. The familiar beats of Bonnie Tyler’s “ _ I Need A Hero _ ” blared through the terrible speakers, and Newt smiled. He loved this fuckin’ song. At the bar, Hermann sat himself down, and found that he couldn’t bring himself to look away while Newt danced.

 

It was… quite the experience. His body was small enough that it moved with surprising ease, hips swirling and shoulders jutting with an oddly perfect lack of grace. His hands slid over his torso and his eyes closed, letting him get fully sucked into the moment. Hermann’s eyes were trained on the sight, as much as he mentally chided himself for it. He tried to ignore the weird bubble forming in his chest. But, that clearly wasn’t enough, as Newt then opened his eyes again and locked Hermann in a gaze with him. Unfaltering, he slid a hand down his chest, and Hermann followed it- up until it passed the waistband of his pants.

 

That was quite enough, he decided, as Hermann stood fast and nearly bolted for the exit. He felt his face warm, and the rest of his body even warmer. He pushed the door open and almost immediately stepped out into rain, making him recoil a bit. Damn it. He looked around for a dry spot, dodging under a small makeshift roof for the building directly next door.

 

Like a shadow, Newt was quick to follow him out, making Hermann grimace as he saw him. “Hey, what’s the matter, dude?” Newt asked as he joined him, taking off his glasses to wipe away the drops of water on them. Hermann couldn’t muster the strength to answer, trying to forget what he saw inside. “You that freaked out by dancing?”

 

“For Christ’s sake, Newt, people were there!” Hermann hissed. “They were probably watching you!”

 

Newt blinked, shoulders relaxing. “So? No one cares about that.” He assured the other. But he wasn’t too sure, pursing his lips and closing his eyes some to think. “Still… You don’t know what people think here.”

 

“Please, I doubt anyone’s gonna care here.” Newt told him. “Not like there’s much to care about if you’re living in San Junipero.”

 

Hermann, surprisingly, wasn’t comforted by that either. “Well, maybe not, but that doesn’t erase the fact that it’s… well.... Odd!” He tried to explain, hand going up to hide his cheeks and their flushed state. Newt laughed. “Relax, Herm, it’s not the end of the world.”

 

“Don’t call me that.” Hermann grumbled. But, he slowly moved his hand away, feeling himself relaxing. Until a hand rested on his shoulder. He stared at it, then at Newt, the owner of said hand. “...Yes?”

 

“Oh, nothing.” Newt said quickly, taking his hand away. “Just… Well, you know, there’s about an hour and a half until midnight. Maybe… we could go back to my place?”

 

Hermann blinked. If his face wasn’t red before, it certainly was now. “Excuse me?” He asked, voice a little choked. Newt’s own eyes went wide. “Oh, no, not- not like that!” He couldn’t help but laugh. “Just, like, we could get away from the crowds and all that. If you want to- I don’t really mind either way-”

 

“Yes.” Hermann said. Newt was the one to blink this time, a little surprised, but he smiled and gently took Herman’’s hand again. Together, they darted through the rain and to a small car belonging to Newt. They escaped some of the rain as they drove towards the beachside part of the city, mostly secluded. Newt’s house sat right on the beach, small enough for a man like himself. Once they were there, they spent the rest of their night talking- about science, life growing up in Germany, many different things. It almost felt like hours, but it was only one whole hour.

 

Five minutes to midnight, they sat together in the living room. Newton sat on the ground, back pressed against the couch, while Hermann laid carefully on the couch above. They were quiet, but it was a comfortable kind of quiet. The kind you could get used to.

 

Hermann looked out towards the clock, grimacing at the time. “Jeez- so late already? I barely felt like I’ve been here long.” Newt laughed gently at that, looking up. “Time flies by pretty fast. It’s almost funny. In all my life, I’d never really thought about how fast is really is.”

 

A hum left Hermann’s tightly closed lips. “Are you going to be a permanent resident?”

 

Newton clicked his tongue and shrugged, pulling a cigarette from his back pocket and lighting it up too fast to even catch it. He inhaled the smoke and blew it out through his nose. He looked like a dragon. “Honestly? Still trying to decide. It’s nice and all- I love this place. But, there’s this part of me that wonders if it’s natural.” He murmured. Hermann bit his lip. “That makes enough sense, I suppose. I think I’d prefer to stay, whenever I must choose. Something about this life feels new, almost. I’d prefer to redo it, almost, than die with what I already have.”

 

From what he could see, Newt seemed to nod, offering his cigarette to him. Hermann hesitated, but gently grabbed it and took a drag. Why the hell not? “How much longer do you have? Before you have to decide?” Newt asked him, taking his cigarette back. Hermann almost smiled. “Three months, they say. But they said the same thing six months ago.” He mumbled, eyes training on the ceiling. “And yourself?”

 

“About the same.” Newt told him. His brow furrowed. “11:59.”

 

Hermann hummed. “Will you meet me next time?” He asked quietly, making Newt turn around fully and grin. “Sure thing, Herms. Right at the bar.”

 

“Please don’t call me that.”

 

12:00.

 

* * *

 

Hermann’s eyes snapped open, his body convulsing just a tad as he was brought back to reality. He felt something wet on his upper lip, and he wiped it away instinctively. Blood streaked his palm.

 

“Dr. Gottlieb!” A small voice next to him spoke, and a nurse came in front of him, taking away the chip from his temple. “Are you alright?”

 

“Fine, fine.” His hoarse voice nearly cracked as he spoke, and Hermann straightened out his back. His hand went for a box of tissues by his side, dabbing at his nose a little bit while he sighed. His nursed sighed, removing the small remote from his trembling hands. “I certainly hope that wasn’t the tech.” She mumbled, putting the device away. “How was the visit?”

 

“Quite lovely.” Hermann told her, smiling. “I do believe I’ll go back.”

 

“Alright, but remember, no more than once a week.” The nurse said. She smiled at him sweetly. “Need a hand getting to bed?” She asked, and he shook his head, reaching out for his cane. It felt nice to have again. “No, dear, I’ve got it. But I think I’ll sit here for another bit. Got some thinking to do.” He muttered. The nurse nodded, and turned on her heel to head off towards another patient. Hermann sighed and relaxed in his chair, closing his eyes.

 

He was certainly going back. If only just to see that smile again.


End file.
